I was looking at some pictures of my hair from 4-5 years ago, and my hair then was 3B with some 3C thrown in underneath (now it is 3A). I was thinking about what has changed since then, and thought I'd ask you curlies why my hair type has changed, because I would really like to get it back to a 3B, if at all possible.

So choose your poison that you think did the most to take the curl out of my hair!

I think lost curl is more likely just hair changing than actual outside influences (because my hair's heading back toward 3b after being there in the past, but spending the last few years in 3a Land.) But color is probably most likely of those to do it-though with my hair, the other options all result in far too many split ends and yuck.

The pews never miss a sermon but that doesn't get them one step closer to Heaven.
-Speckla

I have been noticing over the past two years that my hair is less curly. And the past 2-3 years is when I REALLY started highlighting regularly. I didn't want it to be the highlights, because I LOVE the blonde. However, next week, I am going for low-lights, a deep condition, and a cut with a new, curly headed stylist (yikes). I'm going to let go of my pale blonde for this year and see if the texture and curl improves dramatically enough to not be pale blonde anymore. My hair is naturally dishwater, or Khaki as I like to describe it, so I need something to make me not look so drab

My hope is that, once the damaged hair is all gone I can get a few highlights a little closer to my natural color. I'm thinking that this will be better for my curls than the heavy highlights I have now.

Permanent colouring fried my hair dry but didn't change the curl. A semi-permanent gloss slightly loosens and softens it though - not in a bad way, I like it. I think it adds weight to my hair.

Products - make it look bad temporarily but don't change the curl.

Straightening - works temporarily if done right but doesn't change my hair. In the past it has damaged my hair because it was done wrong, now it's fine.

Passage of time - well yes, in a way. Length and weight definitely stretch out my curl, esp. at the roots and lessen some of the bulk. Short, my hair is definitely 3c and super pouffy, now longer it's maybe more 3b/c and lies flatter.

For me, I don't mind this at all. Nor did I mind how it was before. It's kind of neat to have the option of different looks.

Get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me. -Muhammad Ali